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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25456945">Heaven Is For Other People</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire'>Sinclaironfire</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hazbin Hotel (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Charlie Misses Everyone, Charlie has Caring Parents, Charlie loves Everyone, Drug Use Gone Horribly Right, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Misses Charlie, Everyone Tries to Go to Hell, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship Redeems, Heaven is Full, How Many Sinners Does It Take to Kill Themselves?, Lilith is a good mom, Love Redeems, Lucifer is a good dad, Murder Attempts Gone Horribly Right, Mute!Alastor, Redeemed Alastor, Redeemed Angel Dust, Redeemed Cherri Bomb, Redeemed Husk, Redeemed Niffty, Redeemed Sir Pentious, Redeemed Vaggie, Redemption, Robbery Attempts Gone Horribly Right, Suicide Attempts Gone Horribly Right, The Power Of Love, The power of friendship, They Care but Don't Understand, everyone suffers, heaven sucks, hell is empty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:48:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25456945</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hell isn't the only place with a population problem. In the face of so many new angels, Heaven has but one choice: send the formerly wayward souls back to earth as brand new people. </p><p>As the reformed roam the earth, they are haunted by the atrocities they committed, the temptations all around them, and the strange memories of the Princess of Hell.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alastor &amp; Charlie Magne, Alastor &amp; Husk &amp; Niffty (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust &amp; Charlie Magne, Angel Dust &amp; Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Charlie Magne &amp; Everyone, Charlie Magne/Vaggie, Cherri Bomb/Sir Pentious (Hazbin Hotel), Husk &amp; Niffty (Hazbin Hotel), Lilith Magne/Lucifer Magne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>145</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The End was here. The Angels were coming and the Demons had fallen. Heaven’s holy lights searched for their final target in Pentagram City: Alastor the Radio Demon. One of the most feared Overlords in Hell, the demon now relied on hiding tactics to avoid his heavenly pursuers. Hiding in a trash filled alley, Alastor nervously waited for the Angels to leave, but they did not. The creatures whose lights were too bright and smiles too wide were dogged pursuers of wayward sinners.</p><p>And he was right on their list.</p><p>They had taken everyone and now only he was left.</p><p>Angel Dust? Ha! He lasted all of five minutes before the ordeal was done. Vaggie? She put up one hell of a fight. It was the first time he ever saw someone actually injure an Angel, but in the end, her efforts were in vain. She too fell to the Angels. Cherri and Sir Pentious? Gone in the blink of an eye. All that was left was machinery and unexploded bombs. As for Husk and Nifty? They fought against Heaven but were taken just the same. They were some of the finest sinners around, but hadn’t been spared by Heaven’s deadly soldiers. Alastor knew where he stood in the pits of sin and he knew that he wouldn’t be given a smidge of mercy.</p><p>All that was left to do was run and hide.</p><p>One couldn’t fight against Heaven. It was impossible! It would end in failure. Then again, hadn’t he said the same thing about the Hazbin Hotel? The idea of reforming demons and sinners was laughable and yet, Charlie had done the impossible. Alastor’s moment of thought cost him deeply. The Angels saw him. Hiding was gone, time to run. At breakneck speed, Alastor dashed through Hell. No place was safe from Heaven’s light…except maybe…</p><p>“CHARLIE!” Alastor shouted.</p><p>The Hotel was in the heart of the city. He could make it if he really booked it. And he did. Alastor ran like Lucifer was after his soul. The Hotel was in sight, but it’s lights were out and it was starting to fall into disrepair. Still, it was his home in a manner of speaking. Where it all began, no one would think twice of letting a demon of his caliber stay, but Charlie did. Charlie let him stay. The Hotel was a safe haven for demons of every kind. Now, it would be his.</p><p>“SANCTUARY!” Alastor banged on the door. “Charlie! Please! Let me in!”</p><p>The doors bearing Lucifer’s insignia were opened by the Princess of Hell herself. Still as lovely as ever, Charlie let him in.</p><p>“Thank you, my dear!” Alastor gave a deep bow after he slammed the door shut.</p><p>“What’s going on?” she asked, her brow furrowed. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Even after all this time, she cared more for others than who they really were. No one in their right mind would have asked a demon if they were okay, except for Charlie.</p><p>“Better now that I’m here!” he replied, completely honest. “I need your help.”</p><p>“Why? What’s wrong?”</p><p>“Well, there’s the little matter of –“</p><p>Oh, he never got the chance to explain. Charlie saw the bright lights of Heaven breaking through the windows quite literally.</p><p>“Heaven? At the Hotel? But why!?” It took Charlie but a quick second to get her answer. Her shoulders slumped in a pitiful resignation as she cast Alastor a sorrowful look. “Oh Al…it’s time.”</p><p>“No! No, no, no, no, no, no! It’s not time! Not mine, not yet! This can all be avoided, my dear! Let’s make a deal.”</p><p>Charlie shook her head. “Al, I can’t. You know I can’t.” she sighed. “No one can fight Heaven. It’s impossible!”</p><p>“Charlie,” Alastor got on his knees and held her hands. “I’ve seen you do the impossible. You can talk to these…these mongrels! You can call them off!”</p><p>She withdrew her hand from his grasp. “I can’t. It won’t work.”</p><p>“My dear, you know that I’ve never been one to beg, but here I am, on my knees, asking you for help. Charlie, please, I’m begging you. Help me.”</p><p>Charlie was never given the chance to answer him. The Angels broke through the door. They flooded into the lobby, their weapons aimed at the Radio Demon. Alastor hid behind the Princess of Hell. He shivered as the Angels stared him down. Surely, Charlie wouldn’t let them do this…but she did. An Angel pointed a long bony-thin finger at her.</p><p>“Move aside, Princess of Hell,” The Angels spoke in unison, but their mouths never moved. “His soul is ours.”</p><p>Before she had a chance to say a thing, The Angels shoved her aside. She went through the entire west wing of the hotel and did not stir from the blow of the force. Alastor was left defenseless. Their weapons aimed at his person, there was nowhere left to run.</p><p>“CHARLIE!”</p><p>There was no denying he was desperate. Hell help him, he was. Heaven had found him. The Angels had their grasp on him and escape was but a pipe dream.</p><p>“Please! Make a deal! Anything! My heart, my soul –“</p><p>“Your soul belongs to us,” The Angels spoke again. “You cannot escape.”</p><p>“Don’t let them take me off the air!” he shouted as he pathetically attempted to hold onto anything that would keep him in Hell for a little bit longer. “Please, Charlie! I don’t want to go!” The Angels had him close to the door. He would be gone soon. “Vaggie, Angel, Husk, Nifty! They’re all gone! Please! Don’t let them take me!”</p><p>In a flash of hellfire and brimstone, Charlie rose from the rubble of where the Angels cruelly threw her aside. She ran after Alastor and the Heavenly Brigade. Charlie grabbed onto his microphone and stopped the Angels dead in their tracks.</p><p>
  <strong>HIS SOUL BELONGS TO ME. HEAVEN MAY NOT HAVE HIM. </strong>
</p><p>For the first time that night, Alastor felt hope. Charlie was Charlie! If there was anyone who could fight Heaven then he would bet his bottom dollar it would be her. The Angels were unamused at her defiance.</p><p>“Stand down or suffer as your father did for his insolence.”</p><p><strong>RELEASE HIM</strong>. Charlie commanded.</p><p>“Suffer,” The Angels replied and she did. They spared no expense in firing their weapons at Charlie. Though she was born in Hell, Charlie was still half of a fallen angel. Burnt by Heaven’s light, Charlie laid in a crumpled half-burned mess on the floor. If it had been anyone else, they would have died on the spot, but Charlie rose again and gave chase. In Hell, she had the power to warp reality as she pleased. Spreading her wings, she flew after her Heavenly cousins. Alastor watched her intently. She could do this, he knew. He stretched out his hand for her. If he could just grabbed onto her, he could be rescued.</p><p>Heaven wouldn’t allow that to happen.</p><p>Once more, with gusto, they fired their weapons at Charlie. She took every hit head on. She persisted nonetheless. Her wings were bloodied, her flesh was burned, but as long as a denizen of Hell needed her, she wouldn’t give up. Alastor needed her. She wouldn’t abandon him in his time of need.</p><p>Climbing through the clouds of Hell, to where the farthest points of the Pentagram could be seen, Charlie kept up her pursuit. Alastor reached out for her. “Help!”</p><p>Charlie was close. She doggedly kept up with the Angels and their captive. She flew higher and fasted. In Hell, she had control. The Angels knew this quite well. In Hell, they were nothing more than an unwanted guest. Out of Hell, they had more power and Charlie could not leave her home domain. Upon striking the barrier, Charlie was waylaid and disoriented by a few seconds. It was all the Angels needed to bring her down quite literally. With Alastor in their tight grasp, the Angels threw a spear to wound Charlie.</p><p>It met it’s target with devastating accuracy.</p><p>Pierced through her heart, Charlie fell to Hell and Alastor was lost to Heaven.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There were few things both in life and in death that were worse than having an angelic weapon pierce through one’s heart. Charlie couldn’t think of those things at the moment, but she was sure that they existed and that whatever they were, it would have to hurt a lot more than her chest cavity filling with her blood and seeing Alastor get spirited away to Heaven. Pulling the spear out wasn’t something she was capable of. Hands too weak, Charlie had to rely on using her legs.</p><p>It wasn’t easy to do. How badly her chest hurt! Eventually, Charlie managed to wiggle the spear loose. The weapon turned black and decayed in her hands. Using the dead spear as a cane, Charlie hobbled back to the Hotel.</p><p>The lobby was deathly quiet. Alastor’s microphone, now abandoned, laid on the floor. She picked it up. The singular eye of the microphone went dark. The silence was deafening. Unsteadily, Charlie went to the concierge desk. Behind it, was the Wall of Redeemed! Like a good behavior chart for children, the Wall of Redeemed was meant to serve as a reminder that redemption was a true possibility. Mementos from those who passed on were proudly displayed, but as of late, instead of being inspiring, the Wall of Redeemed felt more and more like a war memorial of everyone lost. Alastor’s microphone in hand, she put it in his place between Husk’s cards and Nifty’s scarf. She thought it was fitting that they be together in the afterlife.</p><p>The Wall was impossibly high. So many souls and sinners had walked through the door and joined the wall. There was no one left to redeem. Hell was finally populated with it’s imps and natural demons instead of humans who were corrupted beyond recognition. It was so quiet now. She hated it. Hell was a lively place or it was once a lively place. Screaming, car crashes, the sounds of hard core sex that would have made Angel blush…to have it so quiet made her feel scared. She was alone now. Truly, alone. Tears started to pool at the corners of her eyes. She aggressively brushed them away. How could she cry? How could she? The entire point of the Hotel was to send them someplace better. Redemption was the end goal.</p><p>She set out to save her people and she had done it. How could she ever be upset that they were in a better place? Everyone was dying to get into Heaven. Her people were safe now. No more cleansing, no more bloodshed. Hell was safe from her angelic cousins who killed without mercy or restraint. They wouldn’t have to worry about Heaven anymore. She rested at her desk. Her eyes heavy with sleep and her chest cavity taking it’s sweet time to heal, she thought she deserved a moment to sleep her worries away.</p><p>“Well, well, well…what have we here?”</p><p>Charlie did not raise her head. She knew exactly who had stepped into her once glorious Hotel. The sound of a slithering snake and the unmistakable sound of an apple being bitten into made her sigh heavily.</p><p>“Hi, Daddy,” she moaned.</p><p>“I saw the angels, sweetie,” Charlie could tell he was smiling. Her father was always smiling. “Who did they get this time?”</p><p>“Al…” she groaned.</p><p>“The Radio Demon? He was redeemed? How novel. I didn’t think Alastor had a good soul to start with, but here we are.”</p><p>“Mmm-mmm.”</p><p>“You did it, Charlie. Congrats!” Lucifer held out his hand proudly for his daughter to shake. He would have preferred a hug from his baby girl, but seeing how she was bleeding, he decided against it. The perils of wearing a white suit made him a target for dust, dirt, and blood. Charlie did not shake her father’s hand. Lucifer’s perfect smile fell just a tad. “You did it, sweetie. Yay!”</p><p>Confetti blew out from his sleeves and got everywhere. The glitter would never leave! It would stay in the carpet for eternity!</p><p>“Please leave, Dad.”</p><p>Lucifer’s smile was gone. He sat opposite of his daughter. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>“My chest hurts.”</p><p>“Ah, the sorrows of losing everyone you’ve ever cared for. I know the feeling well.”</p><p>“No, my chest hurts cause the Angels speared me.”</p><p>“THEY DID WHAT?!” he raged.</p><p>“See?” Charlie lifted her tux aside enough for the hole to be seen. It was healing up well enough but the pain was still there. “And I miss my friends. Al was the only person left.”</p><p>“THE ANGELS SPEARED YOU?! WHY?!”</p><p>“Daddy, it doesn’t matter. They told me to step aside, I didn’t and well, here we are.”</p><p>“We have a sworn agreement! Not to harm members of the family. You are my daughter, you get the same level of protection that I do…I…I I AM TELLING YOUR MOTHER!”</p><p>“No, Daddy, please!” Charlie pleaded. “It’s already healing up. It’s fine.”</p><p>Lucifer shook his head. “I know this, but Charlie, it’s important. I’ve been speared before. It hurts! Why didn’t you come home?”</p><p>“I did! The Hotel is my home!”</p><p>Lucifer had seen a lot and done a lot but that comment killed him. He did not cry at that moment, but he would later. “Okay, then…then your mother and I are moving in. It’ll be temporary, sweetie. Temporary just to make sure that you’re okay.”</p><p>“Why do you even care? You never liked the Hotel in the first place,” Charlie groaned. The hole was starting to close. “You think I’m a failure.”</p><p>“I never thought you were a failure, Charlie,” he responded, wounded beyond all comprehension.</p><p>“You didn’t?” she weakly asked.</p><p>“No, but the redeeming of souls…it went against Heaven’s divine plan.”</p><p>“What is Heaven’s divine plan?” Charlie asked.</p><p>Her father laughed. “The last time I asked that question, I ended down here. Do you want to call your mother or should I?”</p><p>“Go call Mom,” Charlie sighed. “She’ll answer you.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>In Alastor’s opinion, there was no place more beautiful than Hell. Hell was loud and full of life. There was always something to do or someone to play. People, foolish people, lined up around the block to strike a deal with him. How many hands he had shaken and raked the idiotic souls across the coals. It was in his opinion, the greatest place under earth. How much fun he had! The deals he made! The souls he collected…the memories…the fun…the friends he gained.</p><p>The Hotel was in every sense a madwoman’s dream. The redemption of sinners. He too had scoffed at the idea, but where was he now? Trapped in the rough embrace of Heaven’s brutal soldiers.</p><p>Heaven was without mercy when it came to the capturing of redeemed souls. They stripped him of the last vestiges of sin that he carried. Gone was his suit of red, his antlers were ripped from his skull, and his voice…the voice that had driven millions to their doom was shredded from his vocal chords. The Angels left him vulnerable and exposed. During the entire ordeal, they kept smiling and touching him. If he could have, he would have screamed, begged, and called for help.</p><p>But who in Hell would have gone against Heaven’s will and helped? Charlie was the one he bet on and she was trapped forever in Hell. It wasn’t fair. He didn’t want this. The touching, the endless caresses, the blood that spilled from his antlers…the naked body may have been considered perfection to Heaven, but Alastor would have killed for underwear.</p><p>When the Angels were sure that stench of Hell was gone and the sin was wiped away, they left Alastor on the floor. He laid there, alone, cold and exposed, for what felt like hours. What he would have given for the warm embrace of Hell’s fire! Or for his bedroom at the Hotel with the softest sheets in the nine circles, or a cup of tea with…with…</p><p>Alastor frowned. What was her name? He was just thinking of her. She was the Princess of Hell. He spent countless years with Charlotte? No. That wasn’t her name. She hated being called Charlotte. Charles? No. No, she wasn’t called Charles either. Damn it! What was her name? He was sure that it began with a C. He knew it began with a C…he was somewhat sure of it. If he couldn’t remember her name, he still knew what she looked like. She had long grey hair. Alastor frowned. No she didn’t. She had blonde hair, maybe? Or was it short blonde hair? What did she even look like? He was certain that she was sweet and charming. She was charming, wasn’t that right?</p><p>He couldn’t be sure. Alastor wasn’t sure of anything anymore. It wasn’t his fault. Not one bit. The Angels hadn’t just scrubbed his body clean from Hell’s touches. They had scrubbed his mind and memories clear of everything that had to do with Hell. The Princess of Hell and her quest for redemption had no place in Heaven or it’s inhabitants mind.</p><p>Alastor didn’t know why, but he was overwhelmed by the loss of someone he couldn’t remember. No one heard him sob. How could they? He was robbed of his voice. The once infamous Radio Demon was a broken creature. However, it wouldn’t be the end of his torture.</p><p>Heaven had other plans for him.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For the good people on earth, the eternal reward for a life well lived was a one way ticket to Heaven. There, they would be reunited with their dearly departed loved ones and blessed to live in the splendor of Heaven’s eternal light. That was what Heaven sold to the good people down on earth, but for the newly reformed souls from the bowels of Hell, their introduction to Heaven was a tad different. This was mainly due to the impossible idea of a sinner being reformed. It was laughable. Heaven help them, all the angels laughed at the idea. It was completely impossible. However, that didn’t stop the one and only Princess of Hell from carrying her mission out. Heaven knew of it. They caught wind of it through their normal channels and when the Hotel officially opened, they laughed as hard as any of the sinners in Hell at the idea.</p><p>Redemption was a fool’s dream. Charlie was a fool, but she was a determined fool who carried her dream out perfectly.</p><p>She single-handedly rocked the natural order of things and Heaven was forced to adapt. Not too many were happy to be receiving second hand souls as one might expect. Heaven was for the pure, not for sinners who spent decades in the pits of Hell. There was some debate as to whether a redeemed soul was a truly pure, but a redeemed soul was still a soul and if they weren’t bad enough for Hell then they had to go to Heaven. So what was Heaven to do with these newly redeemed souls? Sure, they gave them the standard wings, a nice and shiny halo, a gown of white and everything else that came with the whole gig. Yet, these redeemed souls knew the touch of sin and temptation. Was Heaven meant to be their actual home for all eternity?</p><p>The higher ups, not THE higher up, were on edge on this decision. It didn’t sit well with anyone of them to allow the second hand souls to gain entry into their glorious Heaven. As far as they knew, it was a clever trick by Lucifer. They didn’t put it past him to do something like this. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that they would welcome their lost members back, but not without a price. What the redeemed souls used in their lives and afterlives to wreak havoc would not be permitted into their new home. This was due to the Angels thinking that sin had a funny way of sticking to a person and that temptation was everywhere.</p><p>Why risk temptation?</p><p>On the cold hard and unforgiving floor of Heaven’s cleansing room, Alastor laid naked, hurt, and weak. Being stripped of all his powers was awful, being stripped of his clothes was worse! Angels, as far as he was concerned, had no decency. The worst was yet to come for him. As he laid there, something new began to grow. From his back, grew white wings. It was not pleasant. Having one’s bone structure reorganized and shifted to accompany such heavy wings made Alastor wish he was dead. Still, once the matter was over and the blood was dried, the wings provided some cover and warmth for his aching form.</p><p>And then, a voice began to speak to him.</p><p>“Come along, my little lamb,” a disembodied voice teased. “Time to rejoin the flock.”</p><p>Pet names were barely welcomed by Alastor, but he could hardly protest now, could he? An invisible crook forced him down a large and empty hall. When he reached the end of the incredibly bright hallway, he stood in front of a large door that was seven times his size. Alastor paused for a moment. Was he meant to open it?</p><p>“Go through, little lamb,” the voice urged. “Everything will soon be made clear.”</p><p>He doubted that but being left in the room made him worry. Who knew what else would be done to him? He went in and saw a room of hundreds of other people, each naked as a baby, with freshly grown wings on their backs. They stood in perfect rows. No one said a single thing. For a moment or two, as Alastor joined the ranks, he wondered if they too were stripped of their voice.</p><p>This guess was proven wrong as moments later a large winged angel came flying down to a stage that he had summoned. His smile, the same sickening smile that all the other angels had, was bright and cheerful and just a touch inhuman. It made Alastor weary.</p><p>“Salutations, my lambs!” the arch angel grinned. “It’s so good to have you back into the fold.”</p><p>Alastor frowned. He certainly didn’t remember being in Heaven previously. Then again, he didn’t remember anything beforehand except…there was a woman. She was kind. And his powers. He knew he was strong. The body that he had now…it was far too weak. A hopeless shell that could never survive.</p><p>“Before we begin,” the arch angel continued to smile. “Does anyone have any questions?”</p><p>“Am I dead?” a woman in the far left row asked.</p><p>“Yes! You have shuffled off the mortal coil and finally reach salvation! Congrats! YAY!”</p><p>“How do we know we’re really in Heaven?” a man in the center asked.</p><p>“My dear little lamb,” the angel laughed. “Does this look like Hell to you?”</p><p>Alastor wanted to say something, but his lack of a voice made it hard.</p><p>“What happens to us now?” someone else asked.</p><p>“Now, you get your just reward! You shall live forever in blessed peace…well that is, some of you will.”</p><p>At this statement, fear spread through the rows. Some would live in blessed peace? It went against everything that everyone ever knew about Heaven.</p><p>“You see, my lambs,” The angel wouldn’t stop smiling. “We’re expericing a bit of an overpopulation problem at the moment and for some reason, people aren’t going to Hell anymore and staying like they used to.” He said it so carefreely. “Which is a problem for us. It’s not exactly fair if we become all inclusive, is it? Takes the fun out of being a good person if just anyone can get in here. So, to make up for the lack of room, we’ve come up with a resolution that will make all of us happy.”</p><p>Alastor felt the sudden urge to run. Escape was impossible. There were angels at every corner of this strange room.</p><p>“One third of you will be sent down to earth, one third will stay here in Heaven with me, and the others?” He giggled. “Cessation.” He spoke as if he was discussing the weather.</p><p>“You’re planning to kill us?!” someone else screamed and the room erupted into a panic. The neatly ordered rows descended into chaos. Alastor was shoved into the next row. He stayed out of the fray. The arch angel, whom apparently knew that this was going to happen, snapped his fingers. A light so bright that Alastor had to look away came down. It was gone in an instant. When it was safe to look again, everyone to Alastor’s left was gone. They were evaporated into nothing.</p><p>“That was our one third for Cessation,” the angel did not stop smiling. “Would anyone else like to join them?”</p><p>The room felt silent. The new souls fell into line.</p><p>“That’s what I thought. Now, we shall begin to decide who deserves to stay here in Heaven and the others? You will be returned to earth as new born souls. Do try to live your lives the best you can or else you might be chosen the next time around for Cessation.”</p><p>This time under threat of death, there wasn’t a large to do about whether one would go to Heaven or return to earth. The souls divided into two lines. One was for the next level and the other? A straight jump back into earth. There were some pushy people trying to get into Heaven. Alastor didn’t care much for them nor did he care much for the smiling arch angel who watched them all with morbid curiosity. As for his choices, Alastor felt that he was damned either way. He didn’t trust anything that came out of the archangel’s mouth nor did he trust that a return to earth would be pleasant either. Still, between earth and Heaven, earth seemed to be the better choice.</p><p>At least on earth he could wear pants.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lilith Mange was not a traditional wife. </p><p>That is to say that she did love her husband and she adored her daughter more than anything on in this world or the next, but when it came down to it, she never did things the way one would or should do them. For example, man thought that the Queen of Hell would spend her days far from the common sinners and stay high in her castle. </p><p>This could not be further from the truth.</p><p>Lilith liked the limelight. She liked the thrill of the crowd. The raw energy that came with millions of her subjects screaming her name as she belted out the hottest songs in Hell gave her a rush that was incomparable. The denizens of Hell loved their queen. She was charming, witty, well-dressed, and one hell of a showstopper. How could they not love her? Of course, she kept up with her queenly duties as well. There was a new hospital building that needed to be opened, the planning of the demon overlords for their annual party (Though Charlie had put that party in the ground, she still liked to plan it), and taking out any competition who thought that they could become the next Queen of the damned. As if Lucifer could ever have eyes for anyone else. It was a rare thing that they shared, Lilith, the first woman, and Lucifer, the first fallen angel. <br/>No one knew how to describe it, but it was true love. The kind of thing that one read in fairytales or romance novels. What made it stranger was that in the cesspit of sin that they lived, there never seemed to be any sign of cheating, whoring, or anything. Lucifer and Lilith were disgustingly in love with each other. From their love, the rarest of all things arrived in Hell: a child. Now, that wasn’t to say that children didn’t end up in Hell. Sins didn’t know age, just acts. But Charlie, the daughter of Lilith and Lucifer, whose features carried the best of her parents was an oddity. Demons couldn’t have children, but Lucifer and Lilith were hardly ordinary demons. When Charlie arrived in Hell, she became the apple of her parents’ eyes. </p><p>Lilith drove through Hell at breakneck speed to get to the Hotel where her daughter and husband were staying. The Hotel was falling apart. The misplaced ship had almost fallen over, the letters in the Hotel’s sign were out. It wasn’t like this when Charlie opened the place. In it’s prime, it was a sparkling place full of hope and redemption. Now, it looked like any other rundown building in hell. Stepping through, Lilith expected to find her husband or Charlie in the lobby. They were nowhere to be found. However, she could smell cooking and went directly to the kitchen. Dressed in his afterwork clothes with an apron that said ‘Kiss the Cook’, was the ruler of Hell himself. </p><p>“Lucy!” </p><p>“Hi honey!”</p><p>“I came as soon as I could, my apple dumping,” she kissed Lucifer on the cheek. “How is she?”</p><p>“Holed up in her room.”</p><p>“Stress baking?” she noted the flour, sugar, and his favorite, apples.</p><p>“A little bit. Apple pie for desert, some venison and mushrooms and carrots for dinner, and uh….what do you think, oh damn…what’s Charlie’s favorite soup? Do you remember? Was it tomato or vegetable?”</p><p>“Vegetable, darling.”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>"I'll go see her right now."</p><p>"Please do," Lucifer nodded. "Dinner's almost done."</p><p> </p><p>Charlie’s room was on the very last floor of the hotel. Her room was at the very end of the hallway. At anytime, when there were sinners about, they could come to Charlie and work through their issues. She had an open door policy for all. But now, in the wake of everything, her door was firmly shut. On Charlie’s bedroom door was a sign that said, ‘EVERYONE KEEP OUT!’. Well, Lilith was never one to be determined by a door. She entered as she wanted to. </p><p>“Hi, sweetie,” Lilith sat down on the bed. </p><p>“Mom!” Charlie gasped. She bravely tried to hide the fact that she had been crying. “What are you doing here?”</p><p>“Your father called. Said that you needed me and so, here I am. Oh my poor darling, you’ve had a rough time, haven’t you?”</p><p>“Oh stop!” Charlie batted her mother’s hand away. “Don’t. Don’t mom. You don’t know what it’s like to see everyone you love leave you!”</p><p>“You’re right, I don’t know. Everyone I’ve ever loved and will ever love is right is either here in this room or downstairs in the kitchen singing ‘Pretty Woman’.” She lightly laughed. “Oh Charlie, my princess, I’ll never know what you’ve gone through or the heartache, but if you do need something else to cry on besides your pillow then I am an option.”</p><p>“I feel so bad, mom,” Charlie confessed. “I knew that they would leave but…I miss them so much!” she sobbed. “It hurt like Hell when Angel left, but I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Vaggie!”</p><p>That had been a dark day at the Hotel. Charlie left to do an interview with Tom Trench and when she got back, Vaggie was gone. It had been Husk who broke the news to her. Vaggie had done everything in her power to try and stay as long as she could. She didn’t want to go without saying goodbye. Though, in the face of the angelic forces, she hadn’t much of a choice. When a soul was redeemed, they had little say in the matter. It made no difference if they were in the middle of a conversation, if they were in bed with their loved one, or using their abilities. Once someone was redeemed, it was the end. </p><p>“I know, sweetie,” Lilith murmured. “I know…They’re in a better place now, but I know for a fact that they miss you as much as you miss them. Hell, they miss you even more.”</p><p>“You think so?” Charlie sniffed.</p><p>“I do. What you did for them, no one can ever replace. Heaven may have opened their doors for them, but you were their salvation. For this, they will always been indebted to you.”</p><p>She tried her tears. “Thanks mom.”</p><p>“You’re welcome, my darling. Now, shall we go downstairs? Your father is cooking dinner.”</p><p>“…yeah…”</p><p>It was the first family dinner they had in years. Her mother and father made witty romantic overtures over the soup. Charlie laughed her way through the carrots and mushrooms. Finally, over desert, something strange happened. <br/>Her father rose from his seat and raised his glass and said, “To my dearest daughter, to whom everyone doubted, but did what everyone thought was impossible. Charlie, you’ve outdone us all.”</p><p>“Congrats, my darling,” Her mother toasted. “You’re marvelous.”</p><p>“She’s more than marvelous!” Lucifer grinned. “She’s better than all of Heavens angels put together.”</p><p>“Daddy…” Charlie blushed. “I wouldn’t say that…”</p><p>“I would,” he rebutted. “I worked with them. I saw how hard they worked to make sure that every man, woman, and child did the right thing. You were able to do that with a tenth of the manpower and miracles that they’ve got in their sleeves. Be proud, Charlie. Not everyone can outdo Heaven in the “Doing Good” department.”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
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    <p> </p><p>Being reborn was an…interesting experience. The soul that was sent back to Heaven had it’s memories wiped of Heaven, of Hell, of any life that they held prior. The reasoning behind this was similar to stripping sinners of their devices that they used to wreak havoc; what was the fun of going back if you already knew what to do? Old souls were forced to go through the same trials and tribulations as a new one would. For the newly reborn soul of Alastor, he knew nothing of the life he held before nor the friends he gained, or Charlie’s kindness, or the sins he committed.</p><p>If anyone who knew Alastor previously, they never would have recognized him nor would he recognize his new body. Dark brown hair, lovely dark eyes, and a tendency to hide his smile, the former Radio Demon was a shell of his former self. He was a pale comparison to the man he once was. The only saving grace that he still kept were his mild mannerisms. The way he moved his hands, tilted his head, it made him a somewhat unique individual. But for the 33 years that he lived on earth, he was just another face in the crowd and Heaven liked it that way. Souls who went back were expected to be on their best behavior. If they weren’t, there was Hell to pay.</p><p>OF course, the reborn souls didn’t go to Hell. Nope. Heaven considered a personal failure if a reborn soul fell back into their sinful ways. When they died, they were slated for cessation. It was Heaven’s stance that if a reborn soul who returned to their sinful lifestyle went back to Hell, then they could easily be redeemed again. It would sully Heaven’s reputation. A soul twice sinned and redeemed entering the pearly gates? It was scandalous. That type of soul and person wouldn’t be tolerated. Cessation was the solution.</p><p>There were special angels who kept watch over the new born souls as they made their way through their second chance at life. They waited for the second the reborn screwed up. The faster that they did, then the quicker Heaven would see to it that they would be wiped off the face of the earth. Those who watched Alastor waited for the moment that he would succumb to his violent urges. Once a serial killer was always a serial killer, but Alastor proved them all wrong.</p><p>Alastor avoided sin, he went to church, and he even did charity work. He avoided temptation, he skipped out on the vices that humanity oh so readily offered. He lived a quiet and peaceful life in the city. He was without sin much to Heaven’s disappointment.</p><p>And yet, there were somethings that not even Heaven could stamp out in a soul. Alastor was still drawn to the radio. Voiceless, he may have been, but the sound of the radio still drew him back to the comfort he once knew. His new job, instead of being the radio host, was to help run the station. The assistant manage of Cine City’s radio station, Alastor was content in his employment. It was radio! It gave him comfort, and it reminded of things that his mind was robbed of but that his heart knew well. The hum of the frequencies, the laughter of the audience, the rush of when news came in.</p><p>It made him happy…or it did for some time.</p><p>Alastor had run the station for ten years and while he was glad to be of use and to be working in the industry that he loved, he felt that his life was missing something. That something came in the form of a television interview of all things. The local television station was doing a puff piece, something for the audiences at home to feel good about once they watched the terror of the news of the day. The manager of the radio station and the manager of the television station came together with a brilliant idea. For Alastor’s tenth work anniversary, they would do a piece on him and how a mute individual made his way into the world of radio. The ratings alone made it gold. Opportunity was seen everywhere.</p><p>Alastor was never given a chance to back out.</p><p>When he arrived at work that day, he was sat down in front of a legion of cameras and a television host with eyes too big and a smile too bright. It made him scared. The way the lights glowed behind the host…they looked almost like wings.</p><p>“So tell me Mr. Alastor Broussard,” the host smiled far too wide for Alastor’s liking. “What drew you to radio?”</p><p>Alastor signed his way through the interview. His reasons were simple. He liked radio. It was the first widespread use of verbal communication. It surpassed television in every regard.</p><p>“You’re such an old soul!” the host proclaimed. “Tell me, do you ever see yourself leaving the station?”</p><p>Alastor shook his head. He didn’t see the point in raising his hands to answer such a question.</p><p>“Did you know that you wanted to go into radio when you were a child? What was your upbringing like?”</p><p>His upbringing was hilariously dull. He was an orphan, he went to school, he went to high school, graduated from college…he didn’t have anyone that he was close to. It was a funny thing, he was alive but he wasn’t really living.</p><p>The interview was short and sweet, no longer than fifteen minutes. The host got what they wanted from Alastor and life at the station returned to normal for a time. When the interview played later, Alastor didn’t watch it. What was the point? He was in it, he knew how it went down. But for everyone else who subscribed to the station, listened to podcasts, or got news notifications, they saw it. Some people were pleased by the puff piece, others found it charming, but for the few rare souls that were reborn, they saw the Radio Demon.</p><p>And now they knew where to find him.</p>
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